Epic Tarragon Roast Chicken That Lives Up To Its Name

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What makes this dish epic? A juicy roast chicken plus an addictive creamy sauce -- all made together in one pan.
What makes this dish epic? A juicy roast chicken plus an addictive creamy sauce — all made together in one pan.

Few dishes satisfy like a great roast chicken.

And this particular one is truly sensational.

It may not have the most shatteringly crisp skin, but I’ll forgive that because what it does possess is even better — a fabulous creamy sauce flavored with white wine and loads of tarragon that cooks up conveniently in the same roasting pan.

In short, “Epic Tarragon Roast Chicken” is indeed epic.

This straightforward recipe is from “The Farm Table” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy. It was written by Julius Roberts, a farmer and former chef of the acclaimed Noble Rot restaurant in London.

After growing disillusioned and burnt out from the stresses of cooking professionally, Roberts decided to leave the big city to return to the land. A first-time farmer, he writes evocatively about his journey to create a small, self-sufficient farm where he learned animal husbandry, foraging, and what it really means to live, breathe, and eat by the seasons.

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A Visit to the New Il Mercato de Che Fico

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La Mortazza fociaccia sandwich, sold by the pound, at Il Mercato de Che Fico.
La Mortazza fociaccia sandwich, sold by the pound, at Il Mercato de Che Fico.

If you’re a fan of the food at Che Fico in Menlo Park and San Francisco, you’ll be glad to know you can now easily tote some of those same specialty Italian dishes home to enjoy.

That’s thanks to the new Il Mercato de Che Fico by owners Chef David Nayfeld and Matt Brewer, that opened last month across the way from Che Fico Parco in Menlo Park’s Springline mixed-use development.

Chef Chris Timm, who oversees the market, was kind enough to show me around and let me sample some of the goods on a recent afternoon.

Chef Chris Timm.
Chef Chris Timm.
The entrance on El Camino Real.
The entrance on El Camino Real.

The gourmet market’s entrance is right on El Camino Real, so it’s easy to access, especially if you snag street parking or opt for the development’s underground garage that’s patrolled by a robot sentry no less.

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In Praise of Curtis Stone’s Spiced Barbecue Lamb Ribs with Labneh

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Sink your teeth into juicy lamb ribs flavored with warm spices.
Sink your teeth into juicy lamb ribs flavored with warm spices.

If you love pork ribs or beef ribs, you really ought to give lamb ones a go.

Because they boast even more flavor and tenderness, along with an incomparable juicy, fatty richness that’s a pure guilty pleasure.

“Spiced Barbecue Lamb Ribs with Labneh” is a sure-bet introduction to them. The fool-proof recipe is by celebrity chef Curtis Stone, and comes from his acclaimed Hollywood restaurant, Gwen, which he operates with his brother, the restaurateur Luke Stone.

And despite the recipe name, you don’t even really need a barbecue grill to make these. They can be made entirely in the oven, if you like.

It’s from the book, “Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes” (Abrams, 2023), of which I received a review copy, which was written by Eater’s restaurant editor, Hillary Dixler Canavan.

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Psst…The New Suspiro at Santana Row Has A Secret Speakeasy

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Paella de carne at the new Suspiro in San Jose.
Paella de carne at the new Suspiro in San Jose.

The new Suspiro, which opened in San Jose’s Santana Row last month, offers up delightful Spanish and Peruvian specialties, along with an intriguing attraction:

A secret, reservation-only speakeasy tucked away in the back with its own private entrances.

How surreptitious? The press materials I received never even mentioned it. If you go to the Suspiro web site, you won’t easily find anything written about it either. That is, not until you scroll to the very bottom of the page to find a red star symbol underneath the restaurant’s phone number. Click on it, and it will take you to the Instagram page with a link. Click on that, and you’ll see yet another link to make a reservation at the speakeasy via Resy. You’ll also see a link there for “members,” where you can apply to be one. Although I was told it’s unlikely a membership will ever entail a fee, it may entitle you in the future to special perks.

The stylish dining room.
The stylish dining room.

So, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant a few weeks ago, this was all news to me. As was the fact that the executive chef is Yerika Munoz Rodriguez, a woman who had Frida Mexican Cuisine and Cantina Frida in Beverly Hills, and worked with celebrated Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio at Astrid y Gaston in Mexico City. That’s because all the press materials only included the name of Oscar Santos, the chef de cuisine, a Barcelona native who spent time working at that city’s Michelin-starred Enigma by Albert Adria.

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Lunching at Michelin Two-Starred Harbor House Inn

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An exquisite bay nut tart with creme fraiche at the Harbor House Inn.
An exquisite bay nut tart with creme fraiche at the Harbor House Inn.

Elk, CA — I have never aspired to be one of those ladies who lunch.

Somehow, so many hours squandered in the afternoon just provokes too much guilt in me.

Yet after spending a leisurely weekday afternoon partaking of a 5-course lunch at the Michelin two-starred Harbor House Inn on the rugged Mendocino coast, I could definitely be persuaded to be one now.

That’s even on a stormy day that drenched me before I made it through the front door and prevented me from taking any outdoor photos.

Six years ago, I had the pleasure of dining for the first time at this 1916 property after Chef Matthew Kammerer came on board to transform the restaurant from a wayside stop to a must-stop. That time, it was for dinner, and before it officially opened to the public (because I helped write some of their original marketing materials).

The double-sided fireplace that definitely warms on a rainy afternoon.
The double-sided fireplace that definitely warms on a rainy afternoon.
The sitting room where you can relax before being escorted to your table.
The sitting room where you can relax before being escorted to your table.

So much has changed since Kammerer took over. Most notably, the former executive sous chef at San Francisco’s Saison when it held three Michelin stars, gained his own two Michelin stars, launching this Craftsman-style inn three hours north of San Francisco in the tiny town of Elk into the stratosphere.

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